Yardbarker: Justin Masterson

Biggest Needs for AL Playoff Contenders

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:44:33 -0500

Biggest Needs for AL Playoff Contenders

-The Red Sox are in pretty good shape, according to Perry. He points a finger at Jason Varitek's underachieving season but thinks the only real need they have is RH middle relief, assuming that Justin Masterson can settle in in the bullpen.
-The Yankees have a long list of players on the DL, with the chance that Matsui and Posada could be gone for the season. They need another bat and will likely be looking at the same players as the Mets, Holliday, Bay, Giles and Dunn.
-The Tampa Bay Rays need a RH left fielder to partner with Carl Crawford, who, with a .235 avg, can't hit lefty pitcher to save his life.
-The White Sox-With one of the worst farm systems in baseball, it's lucky for them, as Perry sees it that that so don't have a lot of holes to fill. They just need for Paul Konerko to start hitting and Jose Contreras to come off the DL in good shape.
-The Minnesota Twins need a third baseman. Perry sees Adrian Beltre as a good fit for them because he bring hitting and fine defense.
-The Angels should be on the hunt for another big bat as their production from their left fielder and their DH has been less than stellar. Third base is also a weak spot offensively.

Justin Masterson shows up big

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:46:15 -0500

We mentioned a while ago that Justin Masterson was being converted into a reliever and last night was his first relief appearance in a major league game. He definitely didn't disappoint. Masterson came on in relief of Buchholz. There were 2 men on base and only 1 out. He proceeded to strike out the next 2 guys he faced to end the inning (one was a righty, one was a lefty.) Justin went another 2 innings, striking out one more guy without allowing a hit or issuing a walk. The poise and maturity of Masterson is just astounding. He's only 21 years-old, began the year in Double-A Portland, started games for Boston, got converted to a reliever, had only a few innings in Pawtucket to hone the skill, and then was thrown directly into the fire against Seattle. Obviously Justin Masterson isn't going to become the next K-Rod but he could definitely be one of the missing links in the bullpen. 7 more days until the trade deadline..

Back on the Job

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:56:30 -0500

The All-Star break was last week, but several players are finally getting back to work. Troy Percival and J.J. Putz came off the disabled list over the weekend while other closers are having their own injury issues. And what does the presence of Ray Durham in Milwaukee mean for Rickie Weeks?

Red Sox @ Mariners: Can Lester stop the bleeding?

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:26:41 -0500

The Sox have dropped three in a row. Can Jon Lester stop the bleeding? Will the Sox ever win on the road again?

Fantasy Baseball Top Fives: Second Half Rookies

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:08:34 -0500

Impact rookies were the story of Major League Baseball's first half and as Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon explains, we should expect more of the same the rest of the way. But who will shine? Who will fade? And who will come out of left field?

David Aardsma placed on the DL

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:50:51 -0500

The Red Sox have lost their one solid point in the bullpen (besides Jonathan Papelbon) for at least 15 days. David Aardsma is suffering from an undisclosed leg injury and has been put on the disabled list. His numbers this season include a 2.75 ERA and an impressive 41 strikeouts in only 39.1 innings. Justin Masterson has been called up to take Aardsma's place on the roster. Masterson was sent back down to Pawtucket a few weeks ago so that he could become accustomed to working out of the bullpen. His numbers as a reliever in Triple-A this year are: 3.1 IP, 2ER, 2H, 4K.

Red Sox Monster Round Table: Who is the biggest threat to the Red Sox - the Rays or Yankees?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:50:58 -0500

Who's a bigger threat to the Red Sox - the Rays or the Yankees? What's the Sox biggest weakness? Who will win more games - Matsuzaka or Beckett? Red Sox Monster hosts a round table with a few other Sox bloggers to discuss these topics and more.. get the scoop at The Bottom Line and Red Sox Monster...

MLB Stock Market - July 9th Edition

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:47:11 -0500

Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon runs down several baseball Bulls and several baseball Bears in the latest edition of Stock Market. Dustin Pedroia? Oh yea, he's definitely a bull. Ryan Church? Ehhhh ... not so much.

Justin Masterson to AAA to become an RP

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:39:41 -0500

The Red Sox sent Masterson to Pawtucket to become an RP, recalling 1B/OF Jeff Bailey for a few games before bringing Clay Buchholz back to Boston...

Masterson or Buchholz? Did the Red Sox make the right move?

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:14:11 -0500

In this article the Roster Doctor takes a look at Justin Masterson and Clay Buchholz. These two are linked by the decision by the Red Sox to send Masterson down to work in the pen, while calling up Buchholz to pitch in the rotation. While this flies in the face of recent results, a look at the scouting, pitch F/X data, minor and major league statistics, as well as team concerns, may show a different verdict.

Justin Masterson to be converted into a reliever

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:06:53 -0500

Terry Francona announced today that there would be a bit of a change in the Red Sox pitching staff. Justin Masterson, who has spent his season as a starting pitcher, will be converted to a reliever. The reasoning is most likely to keep his inning total low for the rest of the season in hopes that he will still be of use to the club in September. Masterson has been sent down to Pawtucket to get acclimated to the change in his role and IF Jeff Bailey has been called up to take the newly created roster spot. Taking Masterson's place in the rotation will be Clay Buchholz. Buchholz struggled during the beginning of the year with Boston (5.53 ERA in 42.1 IP) but has put up good numbers since being sent back down to Triple-A Pawtucket (2.47 ERA in 43.2 IP.) The club demoted him so that he could get a chance to work on his fastball and it seems that he has gotten a handle on the pitch. Clay won't be called up for a few more days until Justin Masterson's spot in the rotation comes around again.

Could Ben Sheets come to Boston?

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:08:52 -0500

Earlier today starting pitcher Ben Sheets of the Milwaukee Brewers announced that he will officially test the free agency market at the end of this season. Would I like to see Ben Sheets in a Red Sox uniform next year? No question about it. Do I think that Theo Epstein will take a chance on signing him in the offseason? Maybe, but probably not. Despite what people say about CC Sabathia, Sheets will probably be the best free agent arm available this offseason. If the Brewers drop out of contention early, he could also be trade bait sometime in the next month or so. If this happens, I don't think Theo Epstein will trade for him this season nor do I think he'll make him an outrageously high contract offer next winter. Here's why..

Sox On Deck: Buchholz ready for return to the bigs

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:53:39 -0500

Sox on Deck checks in with their monthly minor league update... Clay Buchholz could be on his way back to Boston, and Michael Bowden could be the greatest product of the Red Sox farm system ever... read more at The Bottom Line...

'Pedroia the Destroyah' leads comeback over D-backs

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:43:55 -0500

Dustin Pedroia is in the zone right now, but Terry Francona reminds him that he can still whip his butt in cribbage... get the recap from last night's game at The Bottom Line blog.

Remy Day Overdone, But Sox Claim Comeback Win

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:42:48 -0500

Tonight was supposed to be a night in which we honor our beloved color analyst Jerry Remy, the best analyst in baseball. So out comes the entire NESN crew, the new sweet 'Stang, the grandson, and not to mention the ba-jillion interviews in the press booth. We even got a telephone call from Rene Russo(thanks to Texas Gal over at Center Field for mentioning how NESN incorrectly spelled her name, "Renee"). I guess we have to take the good with the bad because the game wasn't analyzed until the 7th inning due to the number of interviewees visiting the booth, including: Lenny Clarke, Remdawg's old coach & friend, The Sox ownership, and mayor Tom Menino among others. I could see where NESN was trying to go with this special day, and of course we all love Remdawg, but it really was somewhat of an overabundance. I know a few Sox fans who were almost eager to turn up the radio on WEEI to listen to Joe. It really was that bad. The nice ceremony before the game was great to see, and that's where it should of stopped. Maybe we could of made this a week-long thing, who knows. All we know is the NESN cameras spent more time showing what was going on in the booth rather than the field. We love Jerry Remy, but the Jerry Remy Day did take away from what was a great Red Sox comeback, capped by a Mike Lowell double off the wall to tie the game. continue..